Harry, Hogwarts, and Life: From A to Z
by DeceptiveFates
Summary: A collection of ficlets featuring Harry, and his life, which includes Hermione, Ron, and the rest of Hogwarts, of course! Each drabble will have a word beginning with the next letter in the alphabet - 26 chapters total. HP/PP; HG/DM. Enjoy!
1. Anger

_Hey all!_

_I was bored, so I took it upon myself to create a challenge. I've taken randomly picked words with each letter of the alphabet to write an A-Z set of ficlets. Let me know what you think!_

_Oh, so this is a post-war setting, not at all compliant with DH or HBP. Which is why some characters may be quite OOC. Hopefully you'll all like my version of the characters! :)  
><em>

_-DeceptiveFates_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 01 - Anger<p>

He was angry. Not the kind of angry he used to be when he was hating the world, but rather the kind of angry that made him want to grind his teeth and hex someone. Five hours, he had spent _five bloody hours,_ working on that essay, and he got a P? Hermione shrank under his glare. He had been lectured, harassed, and nagged, into putting effort into his potion's essay, by Hermione, who claimed that if he tried, he would succeed. She was wrong; which was why he was content to sit and glare angrily at his best friend for the rest of the evening.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please!<em> :)


	2. Beg

_Hey! _

_So pansy will be making an appearance shortly... no worries!_

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><p>Chapter 02 - Beg<p>

Three days later, Harry found himself in the uncomfortable position of begging Hermione for help.

"Aw, come on, Hermione, I've begged you to help me all day!" Harry complained, still trying to coax her into helping him.

"No, Harry, I most certainly will _not_ help you, no matter how much you beg." Hermione declared in exasperation.

"Why not?" He whined.

"In case you've forgotten, you spent the entire day glaring at me after you got back that potions essay. As if your P on the essay was my fault," Hermione informed him, a note of annoyance in her tone.

"I know, but... but... oh come on, 'Mione, I'm begging here, just _help_ me!" Harry tried again.

Shaking her head, Hermione went to her next class, leaving Harry to trail along behind her.

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><p><em>Three hours later...<em>

"Please, please, Hermione? I swear, I won't blame you if I don't get a good grade on it... pleeeeease?"

"Oh for the love of Merlin, FINE!"

Begging always worked.

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	3. Confusion

_Enjoy! _

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 03 – Confusion<p>

It was their last year at Hogwarts. It was exciting and depressing all at the same time.

After living in the castle for so long with the same set of students, the same routine, there was very little, that could surprise him. And aside from actual school itself, he really didn't have much to worry about.

But lately, he'd noticed something rather unexpected and entirely confusing to him; he was looking at the Slytherin table far more than he ever had before. And that, was saying something. A certain degree of awareness of the Slytherins was a basic survival instinct for all Gryffindors, and him especially.

So, if it was just during meals, he wouldn't be worried. In fact, it had started that way. He'd sit with his friends at Gryffindor table, and naturally, his eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table. What confused him, now, was why, when he was sitting in Charms and clearly supposed to be taking notes, were his eyes wandering over to the Slytherin side of the room?

"Mister Potter, is there something interesting about the Slytherins today?" Professor Flitwick asked, frustration evident in his tone.

"Wha-uh, sorry?" Harry stuttered, surprised, as he was pulled out of his day dream.

"Your eyes, Mister Potter, have been fixed on the Slytherins since you entered my classroom."

"Right... um, no Professor. Sorry professor." Harry offered, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Aside from the occasional snicker or smirk, the rest of the class passed without further disruption. The moment class ended, Harry scrambled to get his things together as fast as he could, hoping to make a speedy escape, lest he embarrass himself again.

"Oi, mate, what was all that about?" Ron asked.

"I dunno, Ron, but I don't want to stick around to find out what _they_ think it was," Harry mumbled, indicating the smirking Slytherins that were watching him.

Unable to help himself, Harry looked over to the Slytherins again, and immediately cursed himself for it, as it only led to louder jeers from them.

Luckily the rest of the day passed quickly, but not without constant taunts thrown his way, as word quickly spread throughout the castle of his apparent fixation with the Slytherins.

Dinner was a less painful affair due to the fact he sat with his back to the Slytherins.

Then, why did he wish he could see them?

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	4. Discovery

_Hey! So far, I've been able to post a new chapter every day, hopefully I can continue to do so for the remaining 22 chapters :)_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 04 - Discovery<p>

Never had a week felt longer to Harry. The rumours were still running rampant, and didn't appear to be abandoned anytime soon. Harry had taken to hiding in the library to escape the madness. Even his own common room, was hostage to the rumours.

He really wasn't helping himself any, with his continued inability to keep his gaze away from the Slytherins. He finally had a free period and decided to use the time to take a walk. Merlin knew, he could do with a break. He was nearing the staircase to the east wing of the third floor when he heard a distinct thump followed by a string of curses. Turning the corner, he was surprised to see a girl picking herself up off the floor.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, as he approached her.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine, thank you," the girl replied. She turned to see who had asked and apparently she wasn't the only one surprised.

Harry looked liked he'd been stunned. Shaking himself out of his stupor he smiled carefully at the girl. He hadn't recognized her from the distance.

"You've really got a problem with staring, don't you?" Pansy asked, quirking an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh, uh, yeah, no... I mean, that is, oh, bloody hell..." Harry stammered, eventually trailing off in the end.

Pansy chuckled at Harry's expense. Kneeling down, she started to pick up her things. Apparently, Harry had gotten over his initial surprise, and kneeled down to help her. Words may have failed him, but thankfully, his limbs did not betray him as his tongue had. Eloquence was never his strong suit, but he certainly wasn't shy with words. Normally, that is.

Standing up, she shifted awkwardly, unsure if he had worked up the nerve to say something.

He had not.

"Thanks," Pansy said, smiling.

"Right, no problem," Harry replied, finally able to string a few words together coherently.

Turning, she walked away. Harry stared after her; his brain still unable to process what had happened.

Continuing his walk, he wandered away. Two hours later, he made an unexpected, and rather unsettling, discovery.

He fancied a Slytherin; Pansy Parkinson, to be exact.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please! :)<em>


	5. Expectation

_Hey everyone!_

_Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, I'm really having fun writing this. Also, constructive criticism is always welcome, so PM me or send in a review, I would be happy to hear suggestions for how to make this story better. _

_Anyway, hope you like this chapter! Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 05 - Expectation<p>

Harry now knew why he couldn't stop looking at the Slytherins. Unfortunately, that knowledge did not really do him much good. Deciding for once, to keep his mouth shut, Harry tried to carry on as if his encounter with Pansy the other day had not even occurred; which, in a large castle, with hundreds of students, should be easy.

Naturally, it was not so. When was anything in his life easy? It stood to reason, that his new predicament would be no exception. And likewise, his inability to articulate in Pansy's presence, continued, and served only to make him look even more like an idiot.

Such were the woes of Harry's first year of a normal teenage life. Death Eaters, the Dark Lord, vicious magical creatures, he could look at all of them with a calm calculated eye. A girl he fancied, however, was an entirely different story.

To make matters worse, it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, and against all odds, he continued running into the pretty Slytherin at every turn. Yesterday, he'd happened upon Pansy four times, all by chance. It was getting to the point, where Harry was certain, the castle itself, was conspiring against him.

_Okay, at least this is the last class with the Slytherins today,_ Harry reassured himself mentally. _Eyes at the _front_ of the room,_ he continued, berating himself when his eyes started to wander. He was so focussed on keeping his eyes off the Slytherins, he was unable to contain himself, and let out an unseemly yelp when Ron nudged him.

The class broke out into muffled bouts of laughter, and it only got worse, as his colour rose in embarrassment. Hermione rolled her eyes from beside Harry, and Ron was trying, unsuccessfully, to contain his laughter.

Thankfully, class ended ten minutes later. Making a hasty exit, Harry opted for returning to his hideout in the library. Surely, no one would think to look for him _there_. Of course, he had not been sitting for five minutes, when Pansy wandered in.

Two weeks of odd run-ins, incoherent conversations, on Harry's part, at least, had left little patience for continued awkwardness in Pansy's mind. While Harry may have been the epitome of a bumbling fool, he was certainly no idiot. The increasingly expectant looks Pansy had been giving him from every encounter were not lost on him. What he was at a loss for, however, was what to _do_ about them.

Expectation was nothing new to Harry. Since birth, the expectation to save the Wizarding world from Voldemort, was unceremoniously deposited on him. But expectation of this variety, was uncomfortably new ground for him.

Which was why, when Pansy came to stand before him, arms crossed, with a sharp and demanding look, he could couldn't help but wince.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	6. Freedom

_Hey! Sorry guys, I was super busy yesterday and didn't have time to put up this chapter. Here it is though, hope you like it!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 06 - Freedom<p>

Harry looked up at Pansy as she continued to gaze at him with expectant eyes. Their eyes met. Hers were alight and vibrant. His, however, were clouded by a veil of apprehension and uncertainty.

"Oh, sweet Circe," she exclaimed in annoyance, as she dropped onto the seat in front of him.

"You know, for a man who defeated the Dark Lord and saved the Wizarding world, you really are a spineless twit!"

"I am _not_ spineless!" Harry objected, indignation kicking in.

"Oh, really? Then why is it you can't seem to speak to me unless I'm insulting you?"

"I, well... it's not that..."

"Thank you, Potter, for proving my point so well," she retorted, rolling her eyes. Men really could be hopeless at times.

"Look, I've been patient, I've given you plenty of opportunity, and nothing," Pansy continued. "But I will have you know, Potter, that I am a lady, and will bloody well be treated like one, so if you don't grow a backbone in the next five minutes, you are going to have a seriously pissed off witch sitting in front of you!"

"Uh, right... That's a very good threat, but I don't understand exactly what you want me to do," Harry said carefully.

Pansy lifted her gaze from where she twirled her wand idly and fixed her eyes upon him. Apparently, he hadn't been careful enough.

Harry shifted nervously. He wasn't entirely sure what she wanted from him. Her idle twirling of her wand began to look more threatening with every passing moment. Death Eaters be damned, women are scary!

"_Potter,_" Pansy snapped, warning evident in her tone.

"Okay, okay! If what I say isn't what you wanted, don't hex me, you're the one who wanted me to ask you something," Harry exclaimed.

"Fine, talk."

"Okay then. Well, I was wondering... that is, I wanted to know... if you would, maybe, sometime, consider, possibly..."

"Anytime now, Potter,"

"Right. Right. Okay," Harry took a deep breath and took the plunge. "Pansy, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

"Thank you, Harry, I'd love to!" Pansy said cheerfully, her posture straightening as she slipped her wand safely back into her pocket.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Oh gods, you have no idea," Harry confessed, his shoulders sagging with relief. He was free! And oh, how he relished the warm rush of that freedom.

"Well, I'll meet you on the second floor by the painting of Merlin's garden," Pansy said standing up. She swooped down quickly, and dropped a light kiss on his cheek before calmly walking away.

Harry stared after her in a happy daze. She was a walking, talking, whirlwind. His mind had been so cluttered with worry and anxiety that the sudden relief of all those thoughts felt like his soul, his mind, had been liberated; such sweet, sweet relief. Finally, he was free of that horrible nagging uncertainty and confusion.

Little did he know that the blissful freedom he relished now, would be short lived.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review please. :)<em>


	7. Guilt

_Hey all! So, I might have to break my rule of post-a-day_ :( _tis the horrible season of midterms for poor university folk *sigh* I will definitely post a chapter in the next few days, though, just not everyday. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 07 - Guilt<p>

Harry had finally stopped making a fool of himself, publically, at least, yet the rumour mill could not be suppressed. Apparently, news that he was now dating a Slytherin, one of Malfoy's best friends, no less, warranted more gossip than he could have imagined. Even the madness of the Triwizard tournament paled in comparison to the treatment he was currently receiving from the Hogwarts students.

Slytherins were threatening him on pain of death if he dared hurt their beloved prefect. Ravenclaws were analyzing the couple's compatibility, and declaring their conclusions to all who would listen. Hufflepuffs couldn't help but stare in awe and wonder, at the sight of a Gryffindor brave enough to cross house boundaries for a woman; it fulfilled all their hopelessly romantic ideals.

Unsurprisingly, it was the Gryffindors that were responsible for perpetuating the cycle. They were of mixed opinion on the subject of the new couple extraordinaire. Some, namely the girls, declared it to be romantic and exciting. Others were less jubilant. The younger ones believed such a union to be blasphemous and the rest were divided into two categories: either the grudging supporters or the vehemently opposed. Everyone had an opinion. And they felt obligated to inform him of that opinion regularly.

Thankfully, he now had two formidable witches on his side. Hermione smiled and wished him well. It was a much milder response than he had expected. Ron, however, was not so meek in his response. He informed Harry, rather vocally, that he was a lucky sod to get a girl like Pansy. It was a response Harry had not expected, but gladly accepted.

This time, though, none of the rumours bothered him. He was too wrapped up in the new relationship. Six weeks passed for Harry in a world that consisted only of Pansy. His every thought, seemed to revolve around her, whether she was with him or not.

So, one afternoon, Harry was walking back from the Quidditch pitch when he was accosted by three Gryffindors mid stride. They unceremoniously dragged him into an abandoned classroom and locked the door behind them.

"Uh, is there a reason you guys dragged me in here?"

"Yes, Harry, there is," Hermione replied sternly.

"Right. And you kidnapped me, because...?"

"Because, Harry Potter, you are being a self-absorbed sod, and we've had just about enough!" Ginny scolded, looking every bit like Molly reincarnated.

"Yeah, you prat," Ron added for emphasis.

"Harry, consider this your intervention," Hermione stated.

"What? That's ridiculous, what on earth do I need an intervention for?"

At that, the door opened admitting several other Gryffindors who took up stance behind the three orchestrators of the affair.

"Harry, we love you, we want to support and help you," Hermione started, taking over position as mediator.

"Uh..."

"Shut it, Harry," Ginny interrupted.

"Do you recognize everyone in this room, Harry?" Hermione asked, in a gentle but firm tone.

"Of course!"

"They are your friends, Harry,"

"And unless you want to be hexed six ways to Sunday, you'd bloody well better pull your head out of the clouds and remember we all exist!" Ginny threatened, daring him to object.

Looking at all the faces of his friends standing in front of him, Harry noted their sincere looks. Faces of the friends who'd followed his command, joined his crazy schemes, and even risked their lives for him.

Guilt settled heavily over him. In all his excitement over Pansy, he'd abandoned his friends.

He'd forgotten what the weight of guilt felt like; an anchor of disappointment.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	8. Historical

_Hey all! _

_I know this one is shorter, I'm trying to keep them all under 800 words (I tried to keep for under 500, but clearly that didn't work out so well)_.

_Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this one!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 08 - Historical<p>

After the intervention staged by the Seventh and Sixth year Gryffindors, Harry was trying to spend more time in the common room. Unfortunately, Pansy had gotten accustomed to his constant attention, so until they settled into a pattern, it was tense, to say the least.

To say that all were accepting of his new relationship with Pansy was, well, wrong. Her fellow Slytherins were asking her at every turn why she was with a Gryffindor, let alone _Potter_. But she could handle this. Even the most vocal knew not to mess with her too much. Too many had been on the receiving end of her wand, and so they had a healthy level of fear.

Much to her surprise, Draco Malfoy, of all people, was supportive. Quietly supportive, but accepting nonetheless. Unfortunately, her parents were not quite so demure. Her parents were still hoping that she and Draco would get together, despite the frequent assurances from both students that no such thing would happen.

And now that she was dating Harry, it was even more certain that a Malfoy-Parkinson alliance would never happen. Her mother was not happy. She had even gone so far as to send her a howler, which was mortifying to say the least. Thankfully, she had the good sense to run into an empty classroom, so the entire Great Hall was not witness to her scolding.

She was informed by the sharp voice of her mother that a Gryffindor was simply _not_ a suitable match for a Parkinson. The daughter of an elite pureblood family was supposed to carry on the integrity of the family line.

Apparently, no one in the history of her entire family had ever dated a Gryffindor.

Damn the aristocracy and their archaic notions!

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	9. Insecure

_Hey all!_

_So, I've got a bit of a break in terms of exams, so I'll try to write as many chapters as I can. Hopefully I'll be able to post more frequently again. _

_Anyway, that's all from me, hope you guys like this one! Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, I love hearing from you! :)_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 09 - Insecure<p>

The days following were stressful. The professors seemed to be hell bent on cramming as much work as possible into the next few weeks as the Holiday season came closer. Between classes, assignments, and Quidditch, Harry hardly had any time to spend with Pansy, let alone any of his friends. Life was hectic.

Pansy had been a little more reserved lately. She was facing so much pressure from her elitist peers and her parents that it was rather difficult not to be swayed by it. Her proximity to Harry, resulted in her becoming friends with Hermione and Ginny. Surprisingly, Hermione and Pansy had much more in common than either would have expected. They were both extremely intelligent, and quite handy with a wand. Hermione was simply happy that at least someone else had the same aversion to Quidditch as she had. Pansy too, quite preferred to keep her feet on the ground.

But even that budding friendship withered as Pansy pulled away from the Gryffindors. She spent more time in the Slytherin common room than she had in months. The hours she used to spend with her boyfriend suddenly dwindled to mere minutes; a half hour here or there.

What bothered her more, though, was why Harry didn't seem to care. Perhaps he was only drawn to her because she was like Hermione. Was he losing interest in her?

She had never been an insecure girl, and she wasn't about to start now. Or that's what she told herself.

And even if she was insecure, she certainly wasn't the type of clingy girlfriend that would complain about it.

Then again, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Who knew relationships could be so complicated.

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	10. Jolly

_Hey all! _

_Didn't I promise you faster updates? I can't make promises for later on though, but I have a good head start so I hope I won't make you all wait too long. _

_Anyway, hope you enjoy this one!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 10 - Jolly<p>

As Christmas approached, the festive mood began to seep into the hearts and minds of the students, for some more reluctantly than others. For Harry, Christmas signified joy and grief, and now, courtesy of Pansy, stress. And if that wasn't overwhelming enough for him, that stress came in two forms: stress from the pressure of her family and their objection to his involvement with her, and stress from having no idea what to get his first serious girlfriend for their first Christmas together.

To make matters worse, there was the additional, though normal, stress of school and the various assignments, essays, and exams to write. The professors were extra jolly, though whether that was from the Christmas spirit or the joy of seeing their students suffer, Harry wasn't quite sure. Though, he was willing to bet it was the latter.

"Harry... Harry... HARRY!"

"What? Huh?" His head snapped up, "I wasn't sleeping..."

"Right, hoping the words would diffuse into your brain from the textbook?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"No, well, maybe..." Harry replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Look, it's not my fault! You know it's been a crazy few months."

"I know, I get it, I do," Hermione assured. She really did feel bad for him; it was a complicated and difficult situation, especially for such a new relationship.

"You know, I rather like Pansy," Hermione commented.

Harry grinned, what could make him happier than having his best friend approve of his girlfriend? It would have been hell if Hermione and Pansy hadn't gotten along, not to mention, a hell of a duel.

"Does this mean you don't hate all the Slytherins so much anymore?" Hermione asked casually.

"Well, I suppose not _all_ of them," Harry conceded.

"Oh, good. Well, we'd better head to the Great Hall, Ron's probably looking for us."

The Great Hall was bedecked with garlands and floating ornaments of all colours and sizes, all glittering gaily. The traditional tree sat in the corner, as huge as ever, swamped in decorations. It was like Christmas exploded in the room.

Ron grinned up at them as they sat down to join their friends. The lavishly laden table was the obvious reason for his giddy pleasure. Neither could fault him for it, when they too looked greedily upon the feast before them. There was nothing like the festive season to perk up their moods, spreading good cheer to all.

Tis the season to be jolly, indeed.

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	11. Knotted

_Hey, here's the next one, enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 11 - Knotted<p>

"Argh! I hate this!" Pansy exclaimed in frustration.

"I dunno what you want me to do, Pans," Draco said, trying to calm her. He had spent the last hour listening to his best friend complain and vent about her situation.

"I know. There's nothing you can do, and there's nothing I can do either," Pansy said as she plopped down onto the couch next to him.

"Well..."

"I'm _not_ breaking up with him!"

"I never said you should. But it _is _technically something you could do," Draco replied, not put off in the least by the fierce glare he was receiving.

"You know, I would think they'd be happy that he's a halfblood. I mean, the Potter family is almost as old as ours... well, more or less anyway."

"Yeah, but I think your parents and mine, still have half a mind to get _us_ hitched," Draco said, amused by the idea. He loved her to death, but knew that if for whatever reason they _had_gotten together, they would've killed each other in a week; hell a few days. They were like fire and water; which was great for friends, but spelled disaster for a couple.

"Hah, can you imagine the catastrophe that would have been?" Pansy scoffed.

"Yeah, dunno what they were thinking, we'd make a horrible couple."

"Agreed. But that doesn't solve my problem."

"Why are you tying yourself up in knots over this? It's not like they can disinherit you," Draco reasoned.

"No, but they'll make my life a living hell," Pansy said wryly. She'd had access to her account with her inheritance since her 17th birthday.

"They'll come around, they always do," Draco said knowingly.

"This is way worse than any of the other crap I've pulled, though," Pansy pointed out.

"Want me to do something equally outrageous to get the attention off you?"

"Draco, my parents think you are a paragon of virtue, although why they think that, is beyond me. But in any case, I doubt even you could get me out of this one," she laughed.

Her stomach was twisted in knots, and as Christmas loomed closer, she knew she couldn't avoid her parents forever. Despite what she said, perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea for Draco to do something stupid to take the pressure off her. A girl could wish.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	12. Luck

_Hey! here's the next chapter, hope you like it!_

_Oh, and it occurred to me, that if I was really sneaky I could have just picked words to fit the story. I assure you I have NOT. So to prove it, I'll give you all my list of words at the end of this chapter._

_Anyway, enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 12 - Luck<p>

Lady Luck: elusive to some, a constant companion to others. Thankfully for Harry, this was one lady who was always on his side. The fact that he was still alive was a testament to that. And she did not fail him this time either.

He had found the perfect gift. The beaming smile he got from his Slytherin girlfriend was enough for him to send a thankful prayer to whatever deity that saved him this time, lady luck or otherwise.

"Oh, Harry, I love it!" Pansy exclaimed. She was thankful it wasn't the usual cliché boyfriend gift of jewellery or something equally boring and useless. As a daughter of a rich pureblood family, she had more jewellery than she knew what to do with. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the finer things in life, but in the life of an aristocrat, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

But this, _this,_was perfect. And after all the stress and frustration of the last few weeks, it was what she needed; proof that her boyfriend cares about what she wants, and more importantly, listens to her. Not to mention, he wasn't tied down by all those silly traditional ideas.

"Uh, you sure you like it, Pansy? I know it's not the usual kind of gift..." Harry asked, a little unsure despite her happy grin.

"Of course, it's perfect! Thanks Harry," Pansy smiled, snuggling up to him. A self-writing-synchronizing medical journal was a life saver and a must in any healer's arsenal. She'd kept an eye out for a nice one ever since she got accepted as a healer-in-training at St. Mungo's.

She had to hand it to him, Harry had class.

The cover felt like soft leather, but had the sturdiness of a hardback. It was beautifully crafted, dark chocolate, with her name embroidered elegantly in gold. It was nice to have something without the typical Slytherin colours. She couldn't have picked it better herself.

"So, how was your break? Were things okay with your parents?"

"Ugh... well, they were about as good as can be expected. You will not _believe_ the number of lectures I got."

"Sorry?"

"Don't be silly, it's not your fault my parents are delusional... can you believe, they still think me and Draco would be a good match? It's ridiculous, but they've got that silly idea stuck in their minds and nothing he or I say is doing any good!"

"Heh, I guess it's not a point in my favour that I offed old Voldy huh?" Harry joked.

"You would think so... but no, it really isn't," Pansy sighed. "Well, I'm rather grateful, if it makes you feel better."

Harry smirked. "How grateful?"

_Thwack!_

"Ouch! I was joking!"

Even lady luck deserves a coffee break.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>

_OK, so here's the list from A-Z: _

_A - Anger, B - Beg, C - Confusion, D - Discovery, E - Expectation, F - Freedom, G - Guilty, H - Historical, I - Insecure, J - Jolly, K - Knotted, L - Luck, M - Mysterious, N - Needy, O - Outnumbered, __P – Peaceful, Q – Quirky__, __ R – Ruined, S – Sunny, T – Tracking, U – Understand, V – Violet, W – Welfare, X – X-ray, Y – Yellow, Z – Zoom_


	13. Mysterious

_Hey all! Okay, so I forgot to post yesterday, sorry! Here's the next installement; hope you guys like it!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 13 - Mysterious<p>

January was in full swing. The holidays passed by far too quickly. Before they knew it, their lazy moods dissipated as the flurry of school engulfed them once more. Ron was actually on top of his course work, although that was mostly to do with the fact that he'd dropped his least favourite subjects, especially potions. This left him mostly free of Hermione's nagging, and that made them both happy.

Harry, however, was not faring so well. His plan to enter the MLE required potions, and that meant he could do with all the help he could get. Luckily he had two smart, helpful, and patient, very patient, women happy to help him. Well, he _used_ to have two such persons. Admittedly, he rather preferred help from Hermione rather than Pansy, mostly because he was less inclined to be distracted. Unfortunately, Hermione was hard to find lately.

She was normally either in the common room or the library, but ever since classes started again she was oddly difficult to find. When he came down to think of it, her mysterious disappearances began a few weeks before the holidays. At odd moments, times when everyone else was around, she would suddenly disappear. She was normally fairly quiet anyways, so by the time he noticed, she was long gone.

And lately, the thought occurred to him, that he didn't know where she went. The more he thought about it, the more he worried. Hermione was like a sister to him, and the idea of her hiding something bothered him more than he cared to admit.

Then, an idea struck him. Girls like to talk... maybe she said something to Ginny or Pansy.

When they too came up empty, he tried Ron. Suddenly the whole group couldn't help but notice Hermione's frequent and mysterious absences. Frankly, they'd been spoilt. She was always the one they had to worry about least; she was calm, organized, and sensible... never getting into trouble; at least, not on her own, anyway. Most of the trouble she had gotten into over the last 7 years was when she was bailing him and Ron out of sticky situations.

Perhaps it was time for another intervention...

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :) <em>

_Oh, and many thanks to my wonderful reviewers!_


	14. Needy

_Hey all! So, just a heads up, I'm going to try and get as many chapters up over the next week as possible. I'm going away for 2 weeks and then it'll be the end of term for me, so I'm going to be ridiculously busy. Hopefully, I can finish this story before I leave, but I make no promises. _

_Anyway, the story continues! Enjoy! (I know it's a short one, but the next few should be longer)  
><em>

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 14 - Needy<p>

Hermione was independent and strong. She could hold her own, be it a duel or an argument; she was by no means needy. Nor was she unobservant, however, even she wasn't sure what to do about the meddling prying of her friends. She was quite aware that they had noticed her stealthy escapes. Well, perhaps they weren't quite so stealthy; she did get caught after all. She was never the one to shirk a duty or shy away from a difficult situation.

Until now, that is.

She knew she would have to tell them eventually, and there were only really two possible outcomes: in the best case scenario, they could not care and be fine, or, the much more likely, worst case scenario, the would _kill_ her.

Hermione very much doubted there would be any middle-ground in their reactions to her... situation.

Yes, she would call it that: a _situation_.

Yet no matter how she speculated, evaluated, contemplated, and every other type of "ated" there was, she still cycled back to square one.

Much to her horror, her anxiety over the eventual unveiling of her _situation_ had reached critical mass, and as for her aforementioned horror, it was due to her sudden descent into the realm of needy girlfriend.

Oh, the horrors of life.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	15. Outnumbered

_Hey!_

_So, clearly my plan of finishing this story before I leave has failed... *sigh* sorry guys! I'll leave you with this chapter, and I'll be back to updating in about 3 weeks. Hope you like it!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 15 - Outnumbered<p>

She was cornered; literally and figuratively speaking. It was unnerving. she had never been in such a position, mostly because she was fairly predictable; not in a boring way, naturally. Pointed looks and stern stares met her as she gazed back at her friends from her corner in the common room. She hated being outnumbered.

"Well?" Ginny asked demandingly. Clearly, she was taking on the role of taskmaster, yet again.

"Come on, Hermione, we _know_ you're hiding something," Ron chimed in. He was giving her a look that eerily reminded her of Mrs. Weasley's exasperated glare. The Weasleys all seemed to have scolding built into their very beings. It was strange seeing the look on Ron's otherwise cheery face.

"He's got a point, Hermione. We've all noticed, and it's not like you to hide things," Neville added.

"Yeah, so out with it, already!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry was oddly silent. He allowed the others to wear her down, and chose to simply wait until she gave in and told them. Why, she was hiding something, was beyond him, but he knew from personal experience that when the gang decides to do something, they do it well.

"Uh... well, you see..." Hermione trailed off, uncertain how to explain things. _Oh, hell!_ For a normally eloquent individual, she was surprisingly at a loss for words.

"I suppose, I can't keep it quiet any longer..."

"Yes..." Ginny prompted. The eyes of all the other eager Gryffindors were fixed on Hermione, breath bated in anticipation.

"Well, if you must know... I've been seeing someone," Hermione said boldly. Her no-nonsense tone showed confidence; if only they knew how terrified she was inside.

"And..."

"I didn't want to make a big deal about it... we all know how well it went the _last_ time I dated someone," Hermione said blandly, her eyes fixating on Harry and Ron accusingly. They had the good sense to blush and look apologetic. Perhaps, if she made them feel guilty enough, they wouldn't hex her into a million pieces. _If only_.

"Oh, very well, I might as well get it over with..."

She took a deep breath, and looked at her friends calmly but with an air of finality.

"I'm dating Draco Malfoy."

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>

_I know, I know, not really a surprise... but I can't help it! I love H/D pairings!_

_Oh, and the reference to the last time she dated someone is about Krum from HP book 4 (in case that was unclear)_

_Also, at this point I want to make it clear that this story takes place after the war (Harry won, obviously) and that this story has nothing to do with HP books 6 or 7. Also, the Slytherins involved in this story were not part of the Order, but were either neutral(as much as possible), or unwilling Death Eaters. (Draco being the unwilling DE and Pansy being the neutral-ish non-order, non-DE) - Feel free to PM me or mention in a review if anything about basic backstory seems confusing!_

_-DF  
><em>


	16. Peaceful

_Hey all! _

_I'm back from my trip which was stressful but awesome. It's gonna be a busy two weeks so you may have to be a bit patient with me; I'll try to keep posting every day or few days. _Just 10 chapters left!_ _

_Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, I hope you keep reading! As always, constructive criticism is welcomed. If you sing my praises I won't complain either :p  
><em>

_Anyway, let me know what you all think of this one :)_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 16 - Peaceful<p>

Hermione's announcement had shock value enough to silence the entire Gryffindor common room. Nothing could silence a full room of Gryffindors, be it exams, feuds, or even Quidditch losses. They say there is always the exception that proves the rule. Hermione's declaration was clearly that exception.

Blank faces stared back at her, as if none of them had heard her. Her eyes flitted from face to face, trying to gauge their reactions. For impulsive, hot-headed Gryffindors they were oddly unresponsive.

"You're dating... Malfoy?" Lavender asked, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Surely, she had heard wrong... the very idea was preposterous!

"Um, yes... for a while now," Hermione said awkwardly.

To an outside viewer, what happened next must have been a fair imitation of a nuclear explosion. The surprise, anger, and disbelief filled the room with a magical charge that could only be explained by the collective accidental discharge of a room full of witches and wizards. The air thrummed with energy.

"Uh, guys... you're freaking me out... can someone please say something?" Hermione asked.

"Malfoy...? Malfoy... MALFOY?" Ron repeated over and over again, his face getting redder by the minute.

"Bloody HELL, Hermione, are you _insane_? He's _Malfoy!_"

"Yes, thank you, Ron, I'm aware of that," Hermione said rolling her eyes.

All hell broke loose. Questions were being fired at her faster than she could blink; arms gestured, wands waved, faces turned red. It was a mess.

Finally, one voice managed to break through the melee.

"How long?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, nervous energy making her fidget.

"About two months," she said quietly. Plucking up her courage she added. "I don't know why you're all making such a big deal about this... I mean, Harry's dating Pansy."

"Yeah, well, Pansy wasn't a vindictive, bloody arse... Malfoy, has been giving us hell since our first bloody day in the castle! Bloody hell, woman!"

Ron was unhappy. His copious use of the word "bloody" was a tell-tale sign. Hermione sighed. Convincing them all that Draco had changed would not be easy.

"Look, we all gave Pansy a chance, and she's been a great addition to our group."

"That's different," said Ron.

"Why? It's not different at all!"

"'Cause Pansy, isn't a good for nothing pureblood with an ego the size of England and _her_ family isn't insane," Ron replied emphatically.

"Yes, Draco's family is insane... I should know, I was tortured by half of them during the war... but that's his family, not him," Hermione countered.

The sharp reminder of the war and what they had all suffered rippled through the room. A sobering blanket of dark memories settled over them.

"I'm just asking you all to give him a chance," Hermione said quietly. "I'm happy, he's wonderful. We've all changed from who we were before the war, and Draco has too. I just want you guys to try to accept him."

No one could argue against her reasoning. It was true; even those who were not directly participating in the war were affected and changed, let alone those who fought on the front lines. Hermione, Harry, and Ron _were_ the front line. They were the ones who'd seen the most, suffered the most, and ultimately survived the most.

The Wizarding war may be peaceful now, but as for the students of Hogwarts, peace was a luxury they rarely indulged in. Hermione's explosive announcement ensured that the rest of the term would be anything but peaceful.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	17. Quirky

_Hi! So, I doubt anyone is still following this fic since I've been MIA for so long. But just in case and for any new readers, here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 17 - Quirky<p>

February edged its way into the year, pushing and shoving, thrusting January into the past, then lolled lazily along. It was a month eagerly accepted by Hermione, who was eager to leave January, and all its madness behind. The tension over the news of her boyfriend had yet to ease and she was still on shaky ground with most of the Gryffindors. Luckily, she had found a friend in Pansy, who was to Draco what Hermione was to Harry. Thankfully, Pansy approved, and therefore, forced Harry to at least pretend to approve.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, several awkward double-dates followed, both boys hating every moment of them. Ironically, both boys sat and suffered through them for the same reasons: Hermione and Pansy. For once, Ron felt absolutely no jealousy toward Harry. He was rather happy to be dating a Gryffindor, and was equally happy not to have to go on awkward double dates with people he hated.

That's not to say that his life was all Quidditch and sweets, though. Ron had been dating Lavender since the end of the war. She was the perfect witch for him. She was beautiful, nice, and loved that he loved Quidditch. She was quite happy to let him dream of being a Quidditch star. Just as he was quite happy to support her in her quest to become the Wizarding world's premiere fashion and entertainment expert.

She had no expectations of him following Harry in becoming an Auror or some other kind of daring line of work. Unfortunately she had other expectations; the kind of expectations that every boyfriend hated. Everything from suffering through overly mushy dates, to listening to boring conversations of Wizarding gossip. All this he could deal with, all he had to do was nod at appropriate times and look interested. That wasn't the hard part. It was her other stranger interests that were tricky for him to deal with. She had what he thought was an unhealthy fascination for Divination, which would be fine to an extent if it weren't for the fact she had developed an odd fixation with Trewlaney. The old bat was loopier than Lockhart and even now after the war was over, insisted on predicting Harry's imminent death. But for whatever reason, and only Merlin knew, Lavender had become obsessed with her and all things Divination. She practically worshipped the wispy woman.

Ron wracked his mind for the best word to describe his girlfriend's current phase, at least, he _hoped_ it was just a phase. After much deliberating, he'd decided the only way to convey to his friends that his girlfriend was losing it and not be hexed to bits by said girlfriend was simple. Lavender was just quirky.

Luna would have to take second place to her.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please!<em>


	18. Ruined

_Well, I hope my long absence can be made up for with frequent updates once again. The end is near, only 7 more chapters to go! Hope you like this one, I know the last few chapters have veered away from Harry/Pansy, but I promise the couple will be seen again soon! Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 18 - Ruined<p>

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat huddled around a table in a secluded corner of the common room in a decidedly secretive manner. All issues of unfavourable Slytherin boyfriends and the like were temporarily put aside in favour of discussing their next major problem. The problem you ask? Simple - how to get Molly Weasley and all other interfering adults into allowing the three of them to purchase a flat together after graduation. It was a task of epic proportions. None of them had yet the nerve to inform the Weasley matriarch of their decision and end of term was lurking closer by the day. The fact that they had been essentially living together all these years at Hogwarts and during the war was not likely to be of much use in the argument. Hence why the three were plotting, and plotting in the way Hermione liked best – lists.

"We try the pity card," Harry suggested. "Saying that after the war we only really feel safe if all three of us are together... it wouldn't exactly be a lie."

"That's true, good idea, Harry," Ron agreed.

"Well, that leaves us with the problem that Molly will tell us that all three of us should just live at the Burrow... and we wouldn't really have an excuse to get out of that one," Hermione countered, neatly writing down the idea and ticking it off as failed.

"Bugger, didn't think of that," Ron grumbled. "How bout we say we want to take the separation slowly, so we get a flat together for a year before we all go off on our own. Ya know, ease the transition."

"Yeah, but then that still leaves us with the Burrow problem," Harry pointed out.

"Well... we could always use a well placed threat of our own," Hermione said slowly.

"We're listening."

"What if Ron threatened to move in with Lavender and you with Pansy?"

"She'd lose it!" Ron exclaimed. "Can you imagine the number of Howlers we'd both get? She'd roast us for even thinking of moving in with our girlfriends without any promises made!"

"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed happily. "And in light of that, wouldn't the three of us living together be much preferable?"

"You've been spending far too much time with Malfoy lately," Harry laughed. "That's quite Slytherin of you."

"Blimey Hermione, that could actually work! Though we'd probably still have to suffer through the Howlers," Ron noted.

"Oi, but how come we're the only ones to suffer? For this plan to work, you'd better be threatening to move in with Malfoy too!" Harry complained.

"Fine, whatever, it doesn't really matter since none of us are actually _going_ to move in with our significant others... it's just a threat!" Hermione said in exasperation. Although, those significant others should probably be warned about their plans before they get accosted with angry Molly Howlers too.

"Perfect! Heh, at the thought of her precious children being 'ruined' she's sure to cave!" Ron grinned.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	19. Sunny

_Hey all_! _So, I felt I was rambling quite a bit with this one, but I hope you like it anyway! Enjoy!  
><em>

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 19 - Sunny<p>

Ginny sulked as Hermione, Lavender, Pansy, and an assortment of other seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin girls puttered about the prefects bathroom getting ready. With two cross-house relationships involving the most notorious individuals from both, it was deemed pointless to waste more time spewing insults, and so a tentative relationship had formed between the seventh year girls of the two houses.

The boys were less obliging.

Ginny was sulking not due to the alliance, but more to the fact that in a few hours most of her friends would be gone, and Hogwarts would be lonely and dull for the girl who still had one more year to trudge through. Not to mention she was jealous that they all got to dress up and look fabulous while she was stuck wearing her same old boring uniform and robes. Sometimes life was just so _unfair!_**  
><strong>

She wasn't too jealous though – Pansy and Hermione were nervous beyond belief and quite happily shared their fears with one another at the thought of facing their parents, and in Hermione's case, Draco's parents. To say they weren't thrilled about their son's girlfriend was the understatement of the year. And knowing their keen sense of fashion and the importance of looking as close to perfection as was humanly possible, Pansy was kind enough to make sure Hermione was presentable. She looked fantastic.

Pansy had the natural grace of a pureblood raised on formal occasions and needed no magical enhancement to look gorgeous. Her make-up was artful, her hair was swept off to the side in an elegant arrangement, and her dress was stunning. The sweeping flow of the shimmering blue material was accentuated by her long legs and lean figure. She cut a striking image.

Hermione was not one to be shown up, and while she didn't carry her look with the graceful nonchalance Pansy did, her blushing looks were certain to please her blond beau. Her hair was tamed into twisting waves, lightly pinned with gold accents. It was her dress that shone though, the chocolate brown material encased her beautifully, the gold accents highlighting her eyes.

They made quite the pair as they descended the steps outside the main doors together. The sunlight shone like a spotlight on them, not that they weren't already the focus of all those outside.

Pansy took firm hold of Harry's arm as she reached the last step. Her dazzling smile seemed to paralyze him, and it took a sharp pinch from her to shake him from his stupor.

"Come on, I think it's time you met my parents."

"Huh? Oh, yeah... you look... well..." Harry stuttered.

"Oh, not again..." Pansy groaned. "Don't you dare become an unintelligible fool again, Harry Potter! For the love of Merlin, get it together!"

"Right, sorry. You look stunning, Pans," he said flashing a bright smile. Apparently coherent thought had returned to him.

Thankfully – for both of them – his articulation survived his first meeting with her parents. His speech abilities survived, but unfortunately, his nerves did not. He was practically trembling as they went to join Hermione and Draco. Hermione's meeting with the Malfoys had surprisingly been uneventful. Harry had expected spells to fly within moments of their meeting, but as they both stood casually he could only assume the meeting wasn't as disastrous as he'd imagined. One look at Hermione's face though, and he was assured that it was a close call. Suddenly, his frightful meeting with the Parkinsons didn't seem so bad.

Soon, with first meetings done and parents all accounted for, the ceremony began. It was hard to imagine that seven years had passed already. They all soaked in the feeling of their last day at Hogwarts, and no one could deny it was the perfect ending to a mostly perfect year.

The sunny sky shone down on Harry and his friends like a blessing from above. Every year was an adventure at Hogwarts; the cheery sun seemed to know that his last adventure was the best of all.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please. :)<em>


	20. Tracking

_Hi all! I thought I had uploaded this already, I guess not... oops! Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_-DF_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 20 – Tracking<p>

The first weeks of their post-Hogwarts lives seemed like a fantasy and a nightmare all rolled into one. The freedom from the pre-set schedules of the school were a luxury they relished. The rigours of Auror training, however, were not quite so enjoyable. After fighting in the War, and in Harry's case, literally saving the Wizarding world, the Auror training drills were mundane at best and sleep-inducing at worst. He hadn't realized just how many of the skills they were teaching he had picked up by necessity over the years.

_So, this is how Hermione felt all those years at Hogwarts surrounded by idiot classmates,_ Harry thought while doing basic patronus drills.

Oddly, the only suitable name he could come up with for all the trainees that were struggling was "dunderheads" – Snape would be proud.

Unfortunately, he had already told the head of the MLE that he didn't want any special treatment so he couldn't even fast-track his way through the training period. Now he knew why that particular offer had been presented to him. Still, if he had taken that offer he would have been even more isolated from his fellow Aurors.

"Okay, trainees, get ready for your first field trip!" Barked their head trainer Auror Linder.

_Finally! A trip for _real_ Auror work_, Harry thought.

Twenty minutes later he sat on a log twirling his wand in boredom. The other trainees were still running around in the forest, loud and useless. He'd finished the mission in fifteen minutes and even Auror Linder didn't know what to do with him.

"How did you get through that exercise so fast?" He asked suspiciously.

"I've done this kind of thing before," Harry answered casually.

"Oh really, and why the hell have you done tracking before?"

"I spent over a year on the run tracking Death Eaters during the war," Harry pointed out. Did this guy live under a rock during the entire war? How could he _not_ know that?

"Fine, you think it's that easy, _Potter_, get back to the start, try and find this escapee," he challenged.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was once again sitting on the same log, twirling his wand, and bored.

Tracking was a joke. Too bad the other trainees were still looking. _**  
><strong>_

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please! :)<em>


	21. Understand

_Hi all! I know it has been AGES since I updated this story. I am determined to finish this though! Here's the next chapter... only 5 more to go! _

_-DF_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 21 – Understand<p>

A girls night was a long time coming, and a welcome relief to Hermione, Pansy, and Ginny. The two older girls had made a trip down to Hogsmeade in coordination with the school weekend trip to spend some time with Ginny.

"I never realized just how much time I spent with you lot," Ginny sighed.

"Surely it's not so bad, don't you have Neville to hang out with?" Hermione asked.

"Well, yeah, but he's so busy with his apprenticeship, and besides, he doesn't sit at Gryffindor table for meals."

Pansy and Hermione exchanged a conspiring glance before turning back to look at the sullen seventh year. They were here on a mission, one that Ginny would hopefully be unaware of, lest she interfere with their meddling ways.

"Well maybe you should go out of your way to spend more time with Longbottom," Pansy suggested.

"Uh… why?" Ginny asked confused.

"Because, he's probably as lonely and bored as you, Gin!" Hermione said. "You're the only one he really knows at Hogwarts now and he can't leave often to come see us… he could use a friend at the Castle."

"Oh, right."

"Anyway, you won't _believe _what Harry said to me the other day!" Pansy said, artfully changing the subject now that the idea had been planted into Ginny's head.

Hermione nodded and smiled as Pansy talked. She hoped Ginny would understand their meddling later. Surely she would figure out their role in things soon enough. Her wrath was nothing to joke about, but hopefully her understanding nature would prevail. Hopefully.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please! :)<em>


	22. Violet

_Hi all! Here's the next instalment! Hope you enjoy it!_

_-DF_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Chapter 22 – Violet<p>

Draco tapped his foot impatiently. Hermione had been working in the department of mysteries as a spells expert for over a year and they were still working her to the bone. Draco checked the time again, beginning to get frustrated. They were due at his parent's for dinner, and things were already tense enough between the elder Malfoys and the young couple without them being late. He was about to send her a patronus when Hermione apparated in.

"I know, I know, I'm late, sorry!" Hermione said as she rushed into the bedroom. She spelled herself clean and put on the dress she had laid out that morning. Unlike dinners with her parents, when they were expected at Malfoy Manor, a bloody gown was required for her to seem presentable. She had picked out a simple but classy dress for the occasion, but no doubt Narcissa would still find something unacceptable about it. After the day she had, she could hardly care, though.

"Hermione!" Draco called.

"I'm almost ready, just give me a minute!"

"You look wonderful, now come on, let's go before my parents come up with another reason for us to break up," Draco said with a roll of his eyes.

Despite the fact that they were practically living together, his parents were still vehemently opposed to their relationship. They arrived two minutes late, and that was enough for Narcissa to throw in a snide comment about upbringing though she tried to mask it with a cold smile.

"Draco, love! You look dashing, darling," Narcissa cooed. "Hermione," she said shortly. "Violet, how very… modest," she said eyeing her gown with distaste.

"_I_ think you look beautiful," Draco whispered in her ear as they made their way into the sitting room.

Hermione endured one dinner a month with his parents and held her tongue despite her ardent wish to hex _Lady Malfoy_ with one of her new creations. There were perks to working in the spells ward. Lucius was no better, but thankfully he wanted to stay as far away from Hermione as she wanted to from him. It suited them both just fine.

The evening dragged on, with Lucius being the pompous aristocrat he always was, Narcissa fussing and busy being dignified, and Draco appeasing his parents and giving them their monthly update.

Hermione sat quietly, the epitome of cultured indifference in her modest violet dress.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please! :)<em>


	23. Welfare

_Hi all! Sorry for the character pairing mix up, I added Hermione and Draco as official characters and decided to pair them as HP/HG... *sigh*. Anyway, I changed it back so all is well! Here's the next instalment, only 3 more to go! :) I'm hoping to finish them today so this story should be completed in a few hours! Please note, this story has NOT been beta-ed; please forgive any grammatical errors that may have slipped in._

_-DF_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 23 – Welfare<p>

Harry came home dirty, sweaty, and simply exhausted. Auror work was no joke unlike training. Despite the fact that he hadn't wanted special treatment, it was obvious to everyone, including his fellow trainees, that he really didn't need the training the MLE was providing. He spent a month in training with the other recruits and outstripped them all and ended up simply bored. In fact, he was taking the trainers attention away from the other trainees since they needed to keep coming up with different tasks for him to complete while the others completed the required tasks. In the end, the higher ups decided that he should consider his training complete and go straight to the exam. So, two months after graduation he joined the official Auror force. Now, nearly two years afterward, he was still coming home in rough shape. As one of the rookies and talented ones, he got stuck with all the cases that required hard labour while the veterans got all the fun cases. In the past week he had chased a thief across the continent, been attacked by a cursed vase, and attempted to arrest a goblin gone rogue. It was a tough life being a young Auror. To top it off, he had hardly seen Pansy and Ron had just moved in with Lavender so it was just Hermione and he, and she was hardly home either. When Hermione wasn't working late, she was at Draco's. Pansy on the other hand was stuck with twelve-hour shifts as a healer in training and they always managed to work opposite shifts, leaving only an hour or two for each other. Their relationship was strained as a result. He loved her, that much was the same, but their careers had each taken them off in a different direction, and he could feel the distance growing between them. Things had been so simple when they were in school, but now, as adults, everything seemed more complicated. Sometimes he wondered if he should just break things off, with her welfare in mind.

Adulthood is difficult.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please! :)<em>


	24. X-Ray

_Hi all! X is for X-ray... this one required more thought than the others... hope you all like how it turned out!_

_-DF_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 24 – X-Ray<p>

Research and testing– this is what consisted of Hermione's life these days. For all that the job had sounded and seemed glamorous at the start, after two years it was starting to feel mundane. She was by no means bored of her job, but she had been in a bit of a slump lately. There was a lot of expectation put on her as being the "brains that won the war" as her co-workers often joked. Except that it wasn't a joke. They really did expect her to be some kind of prodigy, and frankly, it was tiring.

"Welcome to my life," Harry joked when she had told him during a lunch break.

"Ugh, I know, but still… it's as though they expect me to magically come up with a new spell every time they need to solve a problem," Hermione groaned.

"Well, you did the last time they were stumped."

"Yes, once… and it was a bit of a fluke."

"Want me to come down and tell them that you're uncreative?" Harry suggested unhelpfully.

Hermione glared. If only it was that easy. Instead, she went back down to her workstation and continued to leaf through her notes. All they needed was something that would help them detect what was inside a cursed container without disturbing the curse or the contents. As if _that_ was an easy request! She had been on this project for four months already and had six stacks of notes to prove it. Now she knew why they were called the department of mysteries, but it was hardly a heartening realization. Rather, she realized that she would be faced with countless unsolvable projects over the course of her career. Sighing, she grudgingly went back to work. If nothing else, at least the object in question was a fascinating one. It was an ancient magical relic, a small chest from the time of Merlin, but it had a strong curse that was protecting its contents. If only there was a way to see inside, like an X-ray or something.

"I've got it!" Hermione exclaimed.

All this time they were trying to see what was inside by using magic, all they really needed was an X-ray machine! Surely the curse wasn't protecting against muggle technology that wouldn't even be invented for centuries? Finally, she could mesh the muggle and wizarding worlds together. If this worked, no one could ever doubt that the muggle world had value. To think, it all came down to a broken bone or two in her youth to solve a mystery of the magical world.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please! :)<em>


	25. Yellow

_Sorry this one is so short... hope you all like it nonetheless!_

_-DF_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 25 – Yellow<p>

Pansy tugged at her dress in exasperation. No amount of adjusting would help this disaster though. She had nothing against the colour yellow, it could be light and summery, but unfortunately, this particular shade of yellow had a dismal effect on her skin tone and provided far too much contrast to her hair for it be considered classy. Count on Lavender-bloody-Brown-soon-to-be-Weasley to pick such a horrid colour. Her only consolation was that it looked even worse on poor Ginny. She was fairly surprised when she got the invitation to be a bridesmaid at the girl's wedding, but figured it was mostly because Harry was Ron's best man. It was a close call too, given how rocky her relationship with Harry had been when they had been informed. They had even broken up at one point, but managed to make things work. Things were still strained, but they were working through their issues.

"Everyone ready in here?" Molly called, poking her head into the room.

"As ready as we're going to be," Ginny grumbled. "It's not like any of us can actually look nice in these dresses."

"You mean yellow with red hair doesn't provide good contrast?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"Ugh, better than yellow with dark skin," Parvati moaned. "You know, as my best friend, would it have _killed_ Lav to pick a nicer colour?"

"5 minutes everyone!" Molly yelled from outside.

"Apparently," Pansy answered with a smirk before heading out.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please! :)<em>


	26. Zoom

_Hi all! The final chapter! Also a bit short, but I hope you all think it's a suitable ending. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and in general, enjoyed this story! This was a self-inflicted challenge of A-Z drabbles with pre-picked words and writing a story to fit the prompts. This was also new for me since I haven't written from Harry's perspective before. I loved writing this story, so I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Thanks again!_

_-DF_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Chapter 26 - Zoom<p>

A brown-haired toddler sat on the floor across from an equally small black-haired, green-eyed little girl. Between them lay a pile of Quidditch player figurines.

"Zoom! Zoom!" the boy giggled as he waved one of the players around in the air.

"Zooooom!" the girl agreed, mimicking the boy.

Harry and Hermione watched from the doorway. Harry turned to glance behind him, watching his wife share tea with her best friend. His glance was pulled away as a red-haired menace pushed past them and the room erupted in a cacophony of excited giggles and unintelligible babbling. Ron joined them after his son had barrelled through and the trio was reunited once more.

"Did you ever think we'd end up here? Like this?" Harry asked.

"Nope..." Hermione replied smiling. "Maybe I should have stuck with Divination after all."

"Ha! No, I don't think even Trelawney, the crazy bat, could have predicted a future like this," Harry laughed.

"Hmm, that wouldn't be a complaint would it, Potter?" Draco drawled as he came up to join his wife.

One glance at his daughter and a shared one with Pansy was all he needed.

"Never," Harry said resolutely.

Zoom, indeed.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Leave a review, please! :)<em>

_PS. I said the boy was brown-haired even though I wanted him to be blond, but basic genetics says that it would be unlikely given that Hermione is a brunette. Forgive me!_


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